wolf -- I have a 9-0 4wt SLT and I love it, use it for 90% of my fishing. It is a wonderful dry fly rod, but nymphs well too. It has a nice medium action.

I also have a 282-3 SPL and what can I say...I love it too. But being a 2wt it is limited to casting dries and unweighted wets and nothing bigger than #12. It is a little "slower" I would say. But damn, it is dream to cast dries 30 feet with that rod.

I think either of those 3wts would be stellar small stream rods...and not just small fish rods. I wouldn't target big trout but either of those rods will handle 14-16" trout, the SLT would be a sweet spring creek stick for bigger fish. I guess it comes down to what you want it for, where you fish and if the extra 6" would help or hinder you. You can't go wrong with either.

I'd pay $350, that sound like a steal to me. The SLT was a $560 rod 5 years ago.

I have a Sage SP 586-3 that I bought years ago as a "all around" trout and light steelhead rod for northeastern US fishing. I use to live in western NY state. I'm looking for a slightly lighter weight rod for the smaller stream stuff. I'm tempted to go with the SLT 3 weight rod but the SPL 4 weight rod caught my eye, especially with the warranty card available.

The 4wt is a great rod, versatile and to many - including me - an "all around" trout rod. Sure, I still want a 5 wt SLT but that is my problem!

I recommend you go with the 3wt, otherwise it just isn't enough difference...I mean you will feel a lot more like you're fishing a light, small stream rod with the 3 compared to your 5, than with the 4wt.

My 3 weight is a 383-4 SLT. I learned from my Sage rep when I was in the biz that Sage took the full length blank of the 383 SPL and cut it into a four piece. If the 383-3 SPL performs anything like the SLT version, go for it. The rod is buttery smooth.

I just started fishing a SLT. Most of my fishing with it has been nymphing. I fished a midge hatch tonight with it and it was awesome as a dry fly stick. 490-4.

Enjoy that rod, chi-digs. I've had mine for quite a few years and can't tell you how much I love it for nearly all of my fishing. Double nymph rigs, small streamers, but when you tie on a single dry...that's when you know it. As Mosca said above...like butter!

I'm tempted to go after the SPL 484-3, just to have a 4wt in the collection as a back up to an unexpected mishap with either my 5wt or my 3wt.

Is there any detriment to a 8'4" rod length in an SPL? The shortest rod I own is my SP 8'6" 5wt. Not going to use any of them on the big rivers, mostly northeast streams and rivers, medium to medium/small.